3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl-L-alanine-modified poly(ethylene glycol) (mPEG-DOPA3) is a biologically-inspired material that exhibits unique adhesion properties. In this study, mPEG-DOPA3 thin films were prepared using a novel laser process known as matrix-assisted pulsed-laser evaporation (MAPLE). The films were examined using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, profilometr...

ZnO thin films were deposited on Si(400) substrates by e-beam evaporation technique, and then post-annealed at different annealing temperatures (200-800°C). Dependence of the crystallographic structure, nano-strain, chemical composition and surface physical Morphology of these layers on annealing temperature were studied. The crystallographic structure of films was studied using X-Ray Diffracti...

ZnO thin films with preferred orientation along the (002) plane were prepared onto the glass substrates by the sol-gel spin coating method for different post- annealing temperatures. The XRD study confirms that the thin films grown by this method have good crystalline hexagonal wurtzite structure. The optical band gap of the samples was determined from UV-visible spectra. It is found that the s...

We present the study of the biocompatibility and surface properties of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) thin films deposited by direct current magnetron sputtering. These films are deposited on a quartz substrate at room temperature and annealed with different temperatures (100, 300, 500, 800 and 1100 °C). The biocompatibility of the TiO₂ thin films is analyzed using primary cultures of dorsal root gang...

Inspired by the white beetle of the genus Cyphochilus, we fabricate ultra-thin, porous PMMA films by foaming with CO2 saturation. Optimising pore diameter and fraction in terms of broad-band reflectance results in very thin films with exceptional whiteness. Already films with 60 µm-thick scattering layer feature a whiteness with a reflectance of 90%. Even 9 µm thin scattering layers appear whit...

Aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) thin films have been deposited on glass substrates by employing radio frequency (RF) sputtering method for transparent conducting oxide applications. For the RF sputtering process, a ZnO:Al2O3 (2 wt.%) target was employed. In this paper, the effects of near infrared ray (NIR) annealing technique on the structural, optical, and electrical properties of the AZO thi...

Excimer laser annealing studies were conducted of SrBi2Ta2O9, Pb(ZrxTi1-x)O3 and CeMnO3 thin films. The main incentive was to develop a low temperature process for SrBi2Ta2O9 thin films, which typically require a 750 C anneal to crystallize and achieve optimum ferroelectric properties. The results show that room temperature laser annealing can crystallize SrBi2Ta2O9, with a strong (200) preferr...

Hydrophilic Cu-TiO2 thin films with a gradient in the Cu concentration were prepared on glass by layer-by-layer dip-coating from TiO2 precursors. The effects of the Cu doping on the structure and properties of TiO2 self-cleaning thin films are discussed. The Cu gradient markedly affects the hydrophilicity of the films, with the water contact angle significantly reduced compared with those of th...

Nanocrystalline SnO2 thin films were successfully prepared using sol-gel dip coating technique. The starting precursor was used as tin chloride dihydrate (SnCl2.2H2O), ethanol and glycerin. As the prepared films were fired at 500 o C. These films were characterized using XRD, FESEM and TEM to known crystal structure, surface morphology and microstructure property. Elemental composition was stud...

Mn doped GaAs thin films were grown using molecular beam epitaxy at high and low substrate temperatures. The elemental concentration depth profiles in the thin films were determined by using Auger electron spectroscopy combined with ion etching. The Mn concentration is higher near the surface and then decreases with depth for films grown at high substrate temperatures. The Mn concentration prof...